Flight to You Episode 8 Recap
> Flight to You Recap
Following the chaotic New Year's Eve flight, Cheng Xiao called her father for holiday greetings, telling him she was in warm Sanya and would bring her parents for a vacation the following year. She quickly ended the call when he offered to get her mother, whom she didn't feel like talking to.
Meanwhile, Gu Nanting sat by the sea, ignoring the fireworks as he called his own mother to wish her a Happy New Year, informing her his return was delayed. After the call, Ai Jia joined him. She mentioned that Gu's mentor, Master Qin, was already asleep but that she had already told him the "good news"—that after many years, Gu had finally matured, which would be a relief to them both.
When other crew members invited them for a group photo, Gu Nanting declined, claiming he had work to do. The next morning, Li Yuheng found Gu Nanting at the restaurant and offered him lemonade, admitting she had drunk too much the previous night and it could help with a headache. She noted that everyone was heading to the beach and asked if he disliked the sea, as he hadn't requested a seaview room.
Uninterested, Gu Nanting stated he was returning to his room. As he walked away, he spotted Cheng Xiao speeding across the water on a jet ski. His concern intensified when she suddenly leaped into the sea. Shouting her name, Gu Nanting immediately rushed into the water, with Li Yuheng calling out after him. Cheng Xiao surfaced from the water, exhilarated, only to be confronted by Gu Nanting, who forcefully pulled her ashore.
He reprimanded her for swimming in the dangerous sea, but Cheng Xiao, who grew up by the coast, dismissed his concerns. Gu Nanting sternly forbade her from swimming, riding jet skis, or engaging in any high-risk sports, citing his responsibility as her instructor. Cheng Xiao retorted that he had no right to control her entire life, accusing him of seeing her as merely a component—like an engine or a wing—that he feared would malfunction and cause him trouble.
Gu Nanting insisted he was responsible for her as his student and that she needed to be responsible for herself, specifically advising her to wash her ears to prevent an infection that could affect her flying. Exasperated, Cheng Xiao told him she didn't need his overbearing sense of responsibility and stormed off. Having witnessed the argument, Li Yuheng directed Gu Nanting towards the nearby freshwater showers.
Two days later, back in Luzhou, Gu Nanting addressed Cheng Xiao about the incident on the New Year's Eve flight. He stated that in addition to mishandling the police call, she had involved herself in cabin affairs without his permission and engaged in high-risk watersports while abroad, demonstrating a lack of a serious attitude. He suspended her for one week and deducted her monthly bonus.
Cheng Xiao challenged him, asking which of his directives was explicitly stated in the operational manual. Gu Nanting countered that his standards for pilots were higher than the manual's baseline and that he would apply to add more rules based on her negative examples.
Separately, Director Jiang informed Gu Nanting of two formal complaints against Cheng Xiao: one from a passenger blaming her for the flight cancellation, and a more serious one from a First Class Platinum card user accusing her of negligence. Citing a previous complaint from Australia, Jiang declared Cheng Xiao an "unstable factor" and proposed transferring her to the Ground Handling Department for "training."
Despite Gu Nanting's protests that pilots are never transferred to Ground Handling, Director Jiang was adamant, stating that "special methods" were needed for "special people" and that the decision would be announced at the next meeting. Meanwhile, Xia Zhi moved out of Cheng Xiao's apartment, leaving her various membership cards to help with her friend's financial difficulties.
At the disciplinary meeting, Cheng Xiao admitted her procedural error in calling the police led to a delay but maintained that the action itself was a standard safety measure. Gu Nanting then interjected, taking full responsibility as the flight's captain and offering to accept the same punishment. Upset, Cheng Xiao told him to stop "pretending to be nice," as he had already punished her.
Ultimately, Director Jiang announced the company's decision: Cheng Xiao was to be temporarily transferred to the Ground Handling Department. After the meeting, the Chief of Security, Xie Zetian, explained to Gu Nanting that Director Jiang's harsh decision was motivated by the complaints reflecting poorly on him. Xie wryly commented that Cheng Xiao seemed to "jinx" Gu Nanting, as this would be his second formal punishment since becoming her instructor, but Gu Nanting accepted it as part of his duty.
Feeling defeated, Cheng Xiao decided to resign and slipped her resignation letter under Gu Nanting's office door. Later that night, she sent him a message, explaining her decision and how her dream felt shattered. Gu Nanting encouraged her to reconsider, reminding her of her passion and advising her not to make a choice she would later regret. His words gave her renewed hope. The next morning, she rushed to his office to retrieve the letter before he arrived.
As Gu Nanting opened the door, he found her struggling to pull the letter back out. To save her from embarrassment, he quickly picked it up and dismissed it as a prank by Song and the others, before telling her to report to Ground Handling the next day. Later, Cheng Xiao reassured Xia Zhi and Song that her new assignment was only temporary.
Vowing not to give up, she declared that one day she would make Gu Nanting personally admit she was fully qualified to be a pilot and a captain. In a separate conversation over basketball, Song, who works in Maintenance, offered to treat Gu Nanting to a meal to celebrate his department's recent outstanding contribution award. The two reminisced about college, with Song recalling his first pair of authentic sneakers—a gift from Gu Nanting—which sparked his dream of achieving "sneaker freedom."
Meanwhile, Xia Zhi moved into a shared apartment with Li Yuheng. Prone to nightmares, Li Yuheng asked to share a room, and Xia Zhi readily agreed, then teased her about Gu Nanting. Blushing, Li Yuheng explained they were just childhood friends who had recently reconnected, insisting "nothing" was happening yet. The next morning, Cheng Xiao pinned a small airplane emblem from her pilot's uniform onto her new Ground Handling uniform. At her new post, she was welcomed by Dai Wei, the department head, who assigned a colleague named Yu to guide her.
